Peres: Court order regarding WoW must be obeyed

After being asked to intercede by both sides, president urges Kotel rabbi to resolve problem in amicable manner.

President Shimon Peres in his office 521.
(photo credit:Rachel Marder)

President Shimon Peres weighed in on Wednesday on the ongoing issue of women
praying at the Kotel.

In recent weeks, people from different camps have
asked him to intercede either on behalf of the Women of the Wall or on behalf of
the ultra- Orthodox men who do not want to hear women’s voices singing and do
not want to see women wearing prayer shawls and kippot when they come to
worship.

On Wednesday evening, the president’s office issued a statement
to the effect that the ruling of the Supreme Court must be honored.

Even
so, Peres has expressed interest in resolving the problem in the most amicable
manner.

A month ago he spoke to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the
Western Wall and Holy Sites, and asked him to find a solution that would be
acceptable to all concerned, preserving the sanctity and customs of the Western
Wall and not offending regular worshipers, while at the same time answering the
needs of the women who come each month to pray.

Peres expressed the hope
that a mutually satisfactory solution will soon be found and that there will not
be needless animosity among different sectors of society.